Bios

Aretha C.L. Franklin was known to be revolutionary, influential and dazzling as the undisputed Queen of Soul. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 25, 1942. Aretha came to Detroit in 1946 with her parents, vocalist Mrs. Barbara Siggers Franklin and Rev. Clarence L. Franklin, a well-known minister who originated in the Mississippi Delta region.

As the daughter of the influential Detroit minister and civil rights activist Reverend C.L. Franklin, Aretha sang in the church before recording a God-fearing album called Songs of Faith when she was fourteen. But she wanted to go “secular,” like her idol, Sam Cooke, did and in 1967 she scored as an Atlantic Records artist who fused her gospel and bluesy roots with pop and R&B sounds, a fusion that resulted in an astounding string of hits. In that one year alone, Aretha released classics like “Respect,” “A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)” and “Chain of Fools.” Aretha—and that first name is sufficient, as it was in black churches and parlors for half a century. The soul singer was an architect of the civil-rights movement as much as a witness to it. She toured with actors Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier to raise money for King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967 when the organization was in dire financial straits and was attempting to embark on a Poor People’s Campaign. Franklin was an activist who strained to keep the movement going even after King’s assassination. She also worked to support the Black Panthers in their fight against the racism/white supremacy. She loved black people. In this country, that simple fact was considered radical.

In a December 1970 article in Jet magazine, Aretha offered to post bail for Angela Davis. That’s right, she was quoted as saying: “Angela Davis must go free. I have been locked up and I know you got to disturb the peace when you can’t get no peace. Jail is hell to be in. I’m going to see her free if there is any justice in our courts, not because I believe in communism but because she’s a black woman and wants freedom for black people. I have the money; I got it from black people.”

The unarguable “Queen of Soul” remained relevant for over three decades with hit after hit. She managed to have an unheard-of impact every year. Truly a talent and last of a dying breed, her voice was unique and will be missed.

On August 16, 2018, Aretha Franklin transitioned to “Reign in Power,” leaving behind a legacy and a demonstration of loving her people, Foundational Black Americans. She lent her notoriety and financial resources to, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement as well as, Angela Davis and the Black Panther Party. Ms. Franklin was no stranger to the fight for justice and while her activities aren’t highly promoted, she was truly a “Social Justice Warrior” before it was a thing. She also lent exceptional attention to the youth, in the album project Young, Gifted and Black. We salute “The Queen.”

Biddy Mason, born in Mississippi in 1818. She overcame unthinkable obstacles with her three children while being held captive, on her way to San Bernardino, California, which was supposedly a “free state.”

Mason and her children befriended free Foundational Black Americans, Robert and Minnie Owens, who urged her to contest her captivity legally and alerted the local sheriff when she was threatened with plans to be taken to Texas.

When Robert Owens told the Los Angeles County Sheriff that people were illegally held against their will, he gathered a posse, including Owens and his sons, other cowboys and vaqueros from the Owens ranch. The posse rescued the Mason family in Cajon Pass, California, in route to Texas and prevented them from leaving the state. The sheriff took Mason and her family into protective custody under a writ of habeas corpus.

On January 19, 1856, she petitioned the court for freedom for herself and her extended family of 13 women and children. Los Angeles District Judge Benjamin Hayes took three days before handing down his ruling in favor of Mason and her extended family, citing California’s 1850 constitution, which made it a free state. Mason’s victory was one of the first of its kind, making it a landmark court case.

Mason and her family moved to the Los Angeles area, where she became a doctor’s assistant, then a nurse and ran a business for midwives. She invested in real estate, amongst other investments. She saved and accumulated a fortune worth about $7.5 million in 2023 dollars, making her one of the wealthiest women in Los Angeles. She established a homestead and purchased land in the heart of what is now downtown Los Angeles.

As a Foundational Black American woman, she achieved financial success that enabled her to support her extended family for generations. However, she had to overcome insurmountable challenges, manage her money, invest in real estate, to become a well-known and celebrated philanthropist. Mason used her wealth to establish a daycare center for working parents and created an account at a store where families who lost their homes in flooding could get supplies. Mason was also key in the organizing of the First A.M.E. Church, the oldest African American church in the city.

Known as Grandma Mason, she transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” in 1891 and is honored through the Biddy Mason monument in downtown Los Angeles. An unsung hero, Grandma Mason was foundational in the establishment of Los Angeles and many of its citizens survival.

Bobby Hemmitt was born on November 28th, in South Carolina. An artist, lecturer, master teacher, author, shoe designer, noble steward, historian of the esoteric, mystic, metaphysic and occult arts; … “a True GrandMaster Teacher.” Bobby hails from a proud family of schoolteachers, that breezed through his academic career and as an art major, attended Benedict in South Carolina. Then the University of South Carolina, Columbia University before transferring to Clark University, now known as, Clark Atlanta University. He was on his way to a bright career designing shoes, he states the Roger Bowman agency in New York offered him a contract to exclusively design shoes for their agency. Bobby states he came to a fork in the road, being conscious of the condition of his people and opted to serve Foundational Black Americans versus himself. He continues, after that day he hasn’t looked back and after more than two decades of expounding on a variety of topics, pulling from some tremendous amounts of research and captivating audiences, he has become a “Living Legend.”

Bobby Hemmitt’s, witty, raw and real delivery on various topics from history, occult science, metaphysics, chaos magick and mysticism … as you can see topics he lectures on can seem “out there” for someone who is just starting to look outside of the box but he is on point with his scholarship. He makes sure to always give references, like a walking audible bibliography, so that the serious scholars can do further research on their own. He keeps it real, basically. Bobby Hemmitt always lets people know up front not to just take his word on matters.

Changing lives and setting the captive free, Bobby Hemmitt’s audience continues to grow exponentially. His presence in the in the conscious community predates the internet but YouTube clips and internet radio show interviews has done wonders for this living legends notoriety.

A real-life Morpheus from the movie The Matrix. If you aren’t ready to have your preconceptions of what is good, evil, etc. challenged then it’s best not to listen to Hemmitt and remain in Wonderland. Only those bold enough to let go of what they thought they knew in an objective search for truth will indeed find just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

No stones are left unturned when Hemmitt lectures. Concepts of religion, spirituality, life, death, even reality itself are all turned upside down and dissected. Be prepared though, pretty much any Bobby Hemmitt lecture will blow you away with powerful information.

Again, Bobby has always said from the beginning not to believe what he says, always providing bibliography, resources, invoices and receipts. A true soldier who stands on the shoulders of his ancestors and predecessors. As he honors them, makes them proud and does his part speaking Truth to Power. We salute him and we thank him for all of his work and dedication to Truth for Foundational Black Americans.

Robert George Seale, better known as Bobby Seale, was born October 22, 1936, in Dallas, Texas, the first of three children. His parents, a Foundational Black American carpenter and his wife elected to move to Port Arthur, Texas and then to San Antonio, Texas, before finally settling in Oakland, California, during World War II.

While in Oakland he met Huey P. Newton and together, inspired by Malcolm X, they founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (BPP). Seale served as the Chairman while Newton served as the Minister of Defense. It was at a community center in North Oakland, California, in October 1966, where it all began, as a living testament to the work of Malcolm X. The Black Panthers practiced militant self-defense of Foundational Black American communities against the U.S. government and fought to establish revolutionary socialism through mass organizing and community-based programs. The party was one of the first organizations in U.S. history to militantly struggle for ethnic minority and working-class emancipation. The Black Panther agenda was the revolutionary establishment of real economic, social and political equality across color lines. The FBI labeled Seale and his colleagues in the Black Panthers as “Public Enemy Number One.”

The Black Panther Party was a Foundational Black American organization working for the right of self-defense for Foundational Black Americans in the United States. Distrustful of the police since childhood, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale decided the police must be stopped from harassing, abusing and killing Oakland’s Foundational Black Americans. It became their goal to “defend the community against the aggression of the power structure, including the military and the armed might of the police.” Huey P. Newton was familiar with the California penal code and the state’s law regarding weapons. Thus, he informed and educated Foundational Black Americans of their right to bear arms.

In the early 1970s, Seale devoted his time to effecting change from within the system. He ran for mayor of Oakland in 1973, receiving the second most votes out of nine candidates. His books included the autobiography A Lonely Rage (1978), Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton (1970) and Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers (2016). Seale also published Barbeque’n with Bobby (1988), a cookbook.

Seale went on to teach in the Afro-American Studies Department at Temple University in Philadelphia. He moved back to Oakland in 2002 to help young activists bring about social change. He gives lectures at colleges worldwide regarding his involvement with the Black Panther Party and offers advice concerning community organizing and racial justice.

Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson was born December 19, 1875, in New Canton, Va.; a Foundational Black American historian, teacher, principle and “Intellectual Titan”, who was dedicated to the long-neglected field of black studies, so much so that he fought and he struggled until “Negro History Week” was founded in 1926. His works were not in vain as “Negro History Week” went on to become “Black History Month.

Woodson overcame extreme obstacles in his early life. He was self-taught and went on to be the second Foundational Black American to graduate from Harvard University.

Carter G. Woodson was a scholar whose dedication to celebrating the historical contributions of Foundational Black Americans led to the establishment of Black History Month, marked every February since 1976. Woodson fervently believed that Foundational Black Americans should be proud of their heritage and that all Americans should understand the largely absent achievements and contributions of Foundational Black Americans. These sentiments are as true today as they were back in the early 1900s.

Woodson observed that Foundational Black American contributions “were overlooked, ignored and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who used them.”

It was after being barred from attending American Historical Association conferences despite being a dues-paying member, Woodson saw that the white-dominated historical profession had little interest in Black history. For Black scholars to study and preserve Foundational Black American history, Woodson realized he would have to create a separate institutional structure. With funding from several philanthropic foundations, Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 in Chicago, describing its mission as the scientific study of the “neglected aspects of Negro life and history.” The following year he started the scholarly Journal of Negro History, which is published under the name Journal of African American History.

Woodson’s devotion to highlighting the contributions of Foundational Black Americans bore fruit in 1926 when he launched Negro History Week in the second week of February to coincide with the birthday of Frederick Douglass. Woodson’s concept was expanded into Black History Month.

Woodson transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” at 74 on April 3, 1950, in Washington, D.C. His legacy lives on every February when schools across the nation study Foundational Black American history, empowering Foundational Black Americans and educating others on the achievements of Foundational Black Americans.

Dr. Chancellor Williams was born on December 22, 1893, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, as the last of five children. He hails from cooks, nurses and evangelists. He was a Foundational Black American historian and author. A little-known fact about Williams is that in addition to being a historian and a professor, he was president of a baking company, editor of a newsletter, The New Challenge, an economist, a high school teacher, principal and a novelist.

Williams’ innate curiosity about racial inequality and cultural struggles, particularly those of Foundational Black Americans, began as early as his fifth-grade year. Encouraged by a sixth-grade teacher, he sold The Crisis, published by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and The Norfolk Journal and Guide, as well as reading them and using their recommended books to direct his studies. Years later, he was quoted in an interview as saying: “I was very sensitive about the position of black people… I wanted to know how you explain this great difference. How is it that we were in such low circumstances as compared to the whites? And when they answered ‘slavery’ as the explanation, then I wanted to know where we came from.”

By the 1960s and at this time, his focus was on Afrikan achievements and the many self-ruling civilizations that had arisen and operated on the continent long before the coming of Europeans or East Asians and was one of a group of scholars who asserted that Egypt had been a black civilization. His last study, completed in 1964, covered 26 countries and more than 100 language groupings. He was a scholar at Howard until his retirement in 1966 and afterwards he continued his studies and writings. Dr. Williams remained a staunch believer that Afrikan historians should do independent research and investigations so that the history of Afrikan people will be told and understood from the Black perspective.

In the early 1970s Williams published his major work, The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race Between 4500 B.C. and 2000 A.D. The following year, the book received an award from the Black Academy of Arts and Letters (BAAL), founded in New York in 1969. He asserted the validity of the Black Egyptian hypothesis and that civilization in fact did begin in Afrika. This classic exposition of Afrikan history on the continent as well as the people of Afrikan descent in the United States and in the diaspora was a scholarly work that was well researched in detailing civilizations in Afrika and their destruction. Dr. Williams gave life to the fact that Afrika was in fact the “Light of the World” and “Cradle of Civilization”. A must read that has earned its place on required reading lists for colleges all over the United States.

On December 7, 1992, at age 98, Dr. Chancellor Williams transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy of great works that has and will continue to empower Foundational Black Americans and not have the world ignorant, believing the lies of western society regarding world history specifically that in Afrika.

Dr. Chancellor Williams was born on December 22, 1893, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, as the last of five children. He hails from cooks, nurses and evangelists. He was a Foundational Black American historian and author. A little-known fact about Williams is that in addition to being a historian and a professor, he was president of a baking company, editor of a newsletter, The New Challenge, an economist, a high school teacher, principal and a novelist.

Williams’ innate curiosity about racial inequality and cultural struggles, particularly those of Foundational Black Americans, began as early as his fifth-grade year. Encouraged by a sixth-grade teacher, he sold The Crisis, published by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and The Norfolk Journal and Guide, as well as reading them and using their recommended books to direct his studies. Years later, he was quoted in an interview as saying: “I was very sensitive about the position of black people… I wanted to know how you explain this great difference. How is it that we were in such low circumstances as compared to the whites? And when they answered ‘slavery’ as the explanation, then I wanted to know where we came from.”

By the 1960s and at this time, his focus was on Afrikan achievements and the many self-ruling civilizations that had arisen and operated on the continent long before the coming of Europeans or East Asians and was one of a group of scholars who asserted that Egypt had been a black civilization. His last study, completed in 1964, covered 26 countries and more than 100 language groupings. He was a scholar at Howard until his retirement in 1966 and afterwards he continued his studies and writings. Dr. Williams remained a staunch believer that Afrikan historians should do independent research and investigations so that the history of Afrikan people will be told and understood from the Black perspective.

In the early 1970s Williams published his major work, The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race Between 4500 B.C. and 2000 A.D. The following year, the book received an award from the Black Academy of Arts and Letters (BAAL), founded in New York in 1969. He asserted the validity of the Black Egyptian hypothesis and that civilization in fact did begin in Afrika. This classic exposition of Afrikan history on the continent as well as the people of Afrikan descent in the United States and in the diaspora was a scholarly work that was well researched in detailing civilizations in Afrika and their destruction. Dr. Williams gave life to the fact that Afrika was in fact the “Light of the World” and “Cradle of Civilization”. A must read that has earned its place on required reading lists for colleges all over the United States.

On December 7, 1992, at age 98, Dr. Chancellor Williams transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy of great works that has and will continue to empower Foundational Black Americans and not have the world ignorant, believing the lies of western society regarding world history specifically that in Afrika.

Craig Hodges, born in Chicago Heights, Illinois in 1960.

“I had family members who studied sports and were politically mindful, so they always pointed to athletes who stood on the foundations of our people and who realized that you should never forget where you came from. John Carlos, Tommie Smith—those are my heroes. A lot of what they did in the 1960s, it planted seeds in me. As my career progressed, I recognized the magnitude of the stage that the National Basketball Association would give me. I knew, as I became a pro, that I’d have more of a platform than most of the community. I was taught to use it by watching people like Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Curt Flood.”

Hodges a big believer of social causes and he was a major activist. His most notable effort was during the 1991 Finals. The Bulls guard wanted to protest game 1 of the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers by having players sit out the game.

Of course, to make the movement work, Hodges needed support and he decided to go to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson right away, as they were the biggest stars at the moment. He didn’t get the response he wanted, however.

Later that summer, I wore a dashiki and brought a letter with me when we made our celebratory visit to the White House after winning the ’91 championship. The night before we went, I was playing ping-pong with a good friend of mine and it just hit me: I can’t go there and say nothing. I was taught early on to write letters to councilmen. When I was 12 years old, I was writing letters to the mayor of Chicago Heights, directing attention to important problems. This was no different. I sat down and wrote an eight-page letter about discrimination in America and what the administration should be doing for Foundational Black American communities.

Hodges wrote that letter in 1992 more than 31 years ago but he wasn’t finished. In 2017 Craig Hodges went on to author, “Long Shot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter.”

Always remember selfless individuals with everything, who give it all up for a noble, honorable and righteous cause and this is why Craig Hodges will always be a hero.

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Darren Seals Jr. was born in Ferguson, MO., on May 15, 1987, a hard worker with deep roots in his community. A mentor to his younger brother, he dreamed of one day opening a youth center where kids could gain empowerment through sports and education.

Darren worked long hours on the assembly line at General Motors and performed as a Hip Hop artist with the group D.O.A. Known on social media as “King D Seals,” he was called “King” by his friends and “Man Man” by his family.

An activist, when no one else would speak, he became the voice for the voiceless. A young man doing what no one else would do, speaking up for his community. He stepped up front condemning the wrongful murder of unarmed Foundational Black Americans in Ferguson. Innocent Foundational Black Americans dying at the hands of armed white police officers continue to increase. As a social justice warrior, he organized and protested the lack of prosecution by the justice system but also the organizations and movements that were questionable at best in terms of the actual benefit of their presence.

Acquainted with Michael Brown’s family since he was a child, Darren can be seen in a now iconic 2014, photo holding Lezley McSpadden, Michael’s mother, as she weeps following the acquittal of Darren Wilson, the officer who killed her son. A pillar of support for Brown’s family, Darren was the co-founder of Hands Up United, an anti-violence organization founded in the wake of the shooting. King D was one of the first people on scene and wouldn’t leave until he received answers to the questions about what happened to Mike Brown.

Darren sometimes clashed with fellow activists due to his outspoken criticism of local Democratic politicians whom he felt had fallen short on their promises to curb police brutality and gun violence. He also criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, which he saw detracted media attention and funding from grass roots/local activists on the ground in Ferguson. Mr. Seals was hands on and boots on the ground and is quoted saying the local Ferguson residents are in the streets facing police and being tear gassed while Black Lives Matter received all the credit and donations. But he was nevertheless widely respected across activist groups for his commitment to fighting racism/white supremacy, police brutality and gun violence in his community. King was remembered as both an uncompromising firebrand and a gentleman who took young hip-hop artists under his wing and organized Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas toy drives for needy families.

On September 6, 2016, Darren Seals transitioned under suspicious circumstances and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind an example of what young Foundational Black Americans all across America should be doing for their neighborhood and for each other. Standing against injustice and standing up for what’s right. 

Leroy Eldridge Cleaver, better known as Eldridge Cleaver, was born in Wabbaseka, Ark., south of Little Rock, on August 31, 1935. Soon, he moved to the Watts section of Los Angeles as a Foundational Black American militant.

Cleaver overcame early obstacles and supplemented his education with wide reading, like Richard Wright and was highly influenced by Malcolm X. At a young age, he began writing essays that would eventually be collected in, “Soul on Ice.”

In December 1966, Eldridge, passionate about rights for Foundational Black Americans, working for Ramparts in San Francisco, helped organize Black House. Black House was a cultural center where he met Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the co-founders of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, which they called an organization for “self-defense” against the police.

The Panthers were a growing presence in Oakland, shadowing police patrols who were guilty of brutalizing the Foundational Black American community.

In 1967, Cleaver joined the Black Panther Party as its Minister of Information Chief and spokesperson. In the black leather coat and beret, the Panthers wore as a uniform, Mr. Cleaver was a tall, bearded figure who mesmerized his audiences with his fierce energy and intellect. He became the voice of the activist group, coming up with attention-getting slogans and editing its newspaper. A year later, he married fellow member Kathleen Neal. The next year, Soul on Ice, a collection of Cleaver’s writings, was released and became a bestseller. It had a tremendous impact on an intellectual community radicalized by the civil rights movement, self-defense, the war in Vietnam and racism/white supremacy, to name a few. It was hailed as an authentic voice of the Foundational Black American experience in a white-ruled world.

Being a prominent member of the Black Panther Party allowed Soul on Ice to gain popularity and provided Eldridge with international notoriety. Mr. Cleaver traveled, visiting Cuba, North Korea, North Vietnam, the Soviet Union, China and Algeria, where he set up an international office for the Black Panther Party.

Mr. Cleaver taught a course at the University of California at Berkeley in 1968.

Eric Reid was born on December 10, 1991, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He attended Dutchtown High school in Geismar, Louisiana, where he played football, basketball and ran track.

Reid enrolled at Louisiana State University, from 2010 to 2012, was drafted in the 1st round in 2013 by the San Francisco 49ers,(2013–2017). Eric had an exemplary performance straight out of college. Not just an outstanding athlete, Eric is also known for his decision to be found on the right side of history and using his platform to bring awareness to the injustice suffered by his people…. Foundational Black Americans. He is known for is great play on the football field but also has to be mentioned with the few who defied the odds to make it to the ultimate level of their craft but refuse to ignore and/or forget about where they come from. This is Eric Reid, taking a stand against injustice in 2016, it was then he made the decision to tell the world he is not OK with the way things are going. Putting it all on the line, knowing what happened to those who done similar things before him. Unapologetic and uncompromising and when ever given the opportunity, he articulated and conveyed the racist double standard the media and society continue to attempt to normalize. With more than 1760 professional football players and twice as many NFL employees, Eric Reid is different. One of a few of all of the different individuals involved in the NFL. He was one of a few that had the testicular fortitude to do what was right, to use their platform, their celebrity and their voice for a true cause. A good cause. Eric Reid will be mentioned amongst the greats and not just for his athletic prowess and football acumen but because he understood life was more than sports. Despite the push back and backlash that he received for his position and stance Eric Reid remained steadfast in his dedication, social justice and black activism.

When Reid was questioned about his plans to protest during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Reid said. “... I’ll continue to talk about it. ... I’m going to continue to hold America to the standards that it says on paper, that we’re all created equal. Because it’s not that way right now... I’m going to keep pushing toward that.”

On the field, Reid finally has a new gig. However, his work off the field and his feelings toward the NFL, remain unchanged. After playing for the 49ers he was picked up by the Carolina Panthers.

And a man of his word, after joining the Carolina Panthers, Mr. Reid continued to speak for his people.

Another legend, in more ways than one. Righteous gestures that are rare but needed and noble actions that are demonstrated by few but needed, Eric Reid did it and continues to represent true Foundational Black American manhood, in his family, his craft and for his people.

Dr. Frances Cress Welsing was born on March 18, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois. She was a Foundational Black American psychiatrist, author, lecturer and inspiration.

After earning her M.D., Welsing stayed in Washington, D.C., pursuing a career in child and general psychiatry. Welsing spent nearly twenty-five years working as a staff physician for D.C.’s Department of Human Services and also as the clinical director of two schools catering to children with emotional troubles. Welsing sought to help bring about a solution to the mental health problems of the black community by understanding racism.

In 1991, Welsing published her most famous work, a collection of essays titled The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors, the book is a compilation of essays that she had written over 18 years. In this book, she talks about the genocide of people of color globally, along with issues Foundational Black Americans face in the United States. Aside from her published racial and social theories, Welsing was an advocate for a strong African American family unit. She advised black men and women to delay having children until their thirties and instead take the time to thoroughly educate themselves so as to rear the next generation of high-functioning and disciplined Foundational Black Americans who could challenge white supremacy.

Her definition of racism/white supremacy is “the local and global power system dynamic, structured and maintained by those who classify themselves as white; whether consciously or subconsciously determined; this system consists of patterns of perception, logic, symbol formation, thought, speech, action, and emotional response, as conducted simultaneously in all areas of people activity: economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, sex, and war. The ultimate purpose of the system is to ensure white genetic survival and to prevent white genetic annihilation on Earth — a planet in which the overwhelming majority of people are classified as non-white, (black, brown, red and yellow) by white-skinned people. All of the non-white people are genetically dominant (in terms of skin coloration) compared to the genetic recessive, white-skinned people.”

Our dear sister transitioned on December 30, 2015 and went on to “Reign in Power”. She leaves behind two powerful books, jammed pack with the psychological analyzation of racism/white supremacy and hundreds of hours of lectures and interviews where she articulates these primacies like only she can. She has and continues to be an inspiration for Foundational Black Americans. Her work is indispensable and required reading for black men and black women alike. 

Dr. George G.M. James was born on November 9, 1893, in Georgetown, British Guiana in South America [presently the “Republic of Guyana”] to Reverend Linch B. and Margaret E. James. The late author philosopher, theologian, mathematician, scientist, professor, historian etc. George G. M. James was nurtured into full boyhood and completed his elementary and high school education in his native homeland.

In 1954, he published the long-awaited challenge to the Greeks having fathered “GREEK PHILOSOPHY”; thus his book Stolen Legacy, his magnus opus, one of the best-known books on the Afrikan origins of Western philosophy.

In this classic work, Professor George G. M. James methodically shows how the Greeks first borrowed and then stole the knowledge from the Priests of the Afrikan (Egyptian) Mystery System. He shows how the most popular philosophers including Thales, Anaximander, Plato and Socrates were all treated as men bringing a foreign teaching to Greece. A teaching so foreign that they were persecuted for what they taught. He further shows a comparison of the teachings of the Mysteries to what they taught and with the former predating them the Professor’s point is made clear, “In truth there is no such thing as a Greek Philosophy.”

The Ideas that James assailed in Stolen Legacy makes plain that the world has been lied to in what was provided as literature, Stolen Legacy wagged a perspicacious finger at western intellectuals on the subject of the origin of Greek philosophy. Dr. James had averred that the foundation of Greek philosophy was Egyptian philosophy and that in as much as Egypt was in Afrika, Egyptian philosophy was an Afrikan innovation that western intellectuals had falsely attributed to the Greeks. James had struck a blow at the foundation of western civilization which rests upon the twin pillars of Greek history and Greek philosophy. If either pillar should fall the entire origin of western civilization would topple into myth and require what would be for many proponents of the traditional view of western civilization an unthinkable rethinking.

Dr. George G. M. James was born in British Guiana, an Ivy league educated academician of the first order but he belongs to the world. His research was directly challenging the supremacy of Greco-Roman philosophy, the foundation of western civilization. The movement he started was to show how Afrika was indisputably the cradle of civilization and the origin of European enlightenment.

On June 30, 1956, Dr. George G. M. James transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind priceless work and the legacy we are all grateful for. As said an author philosopher, theologian, mathematician, scientist, professor, historian and our brother, Dr. George G.M. James will never be forgotten.

Harriet Tubman known as the “Moses of her people,” was a Foundational Black American/prisoner of war that escaped and helped others gain their freedom as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad—an elaborate secret network of safe houses organized for that purpose.

She was born Araminta “Minty” Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, in the early 1820s. Her parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Ben Ross, were both prisoners of war. The middle child of nine siblings, Harriet Tubman was raised by parents who struggled against great odds to keep their family together. She overcame unthinkable obstacles and went on to be an expert hunter, lumberjack amongst other skills. Her prowess prepared her for the dangerous path she’d pursue as an adult. She later adopted her mother’s first name, Harriet and in 1844 she married John Tubman, a free Foundational Black American.

In 1849, on the strength of rumors that she was about to be sold, Tubman fled to Philadelphia, leaving behind her husband, parents and siblings. She escaped captivity and made it to Philadelphia, traveling alone mostly under the cover of night. After arriving she found work but she wasn’t satisfied living free on her own—she wanted freedom for her loved ones and friends, too. She soon returned to the south to lead an unknown number of secret, increasingly dangerous forays over the next decade, she conducted, again an unknown number of Foundational Black Americans/prisoners of war along the Underground Railroad to freedom, including her elderly parents. Tubman displayed extraordinary courage, persistence and iron discipline, which she enforced upon her charges. Though just over five feet tall, she was a force to be reckoned with. She carried a gun for both her own protection and to “encourage”. If anyone decided to turn back—thereby endangering the mission—she reportedly threatened them with that gun and said, “You’ll be free or die.” She also was inventive, devising various strategies to better ensure success. One such example was escaping on Saturday nights, since it would not appear in newspapers until Monday. She often drugged babies and young children to prevent slave catchers from hearing their cries. With each trip she risked her life. She had become a leading abolitionist and befriended fellow Foundational Black American and freedom fighter Frederick Douglass and established her own Underground Railroad network, all while carrying a bounty on her head.

In 1896, Harriet purchased land adjacent to her home and opened the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Colored People.

Harriet Tubman transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” on March 10, 1913, but her legacy lives on. Sent off with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York. Tubman had become the subject of numerous articles, recollections and an autobiography.

lda B. Wells was a Foundational Black American activist, author, civil rights advocate/leader, prominent research journalist, abolitionist, business owner, investigative reporter and organizer. She was just an all-around badass. Who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She went on to found and become integral in groups striving for Foundational Black American justice.

Ida Bell Wells, the oldest of eight children was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862, six months after the Civil War. Growing up, Ms. Wells was forced to overcome unforeseen circumstances and impossible obstacles.

The major turning point In Ida’s life came in 1892, after three friends lost their lives under suspicious circumstances. She then in true Ida B. Wells fashion turned her attention to white mob violence. She denounced it in print, armed herself with a pistol, spent months traveling alone in the south, researching more than 700 other lives lost under similar and suspicious circumstances from the previous decade.

She published her findings in a pamphlet and wrote several columns in local newspapers, titled Southern Horrors. She focused less on grisly details and more on the false accusations made against the innocent victims.

After brutal assaults on the Foundational Black American community in Springfield, Illinois, in 1908, Wells sought to take action: The following year, she attended a special conference in Niagara Falls for the founding of the Niagara Movement, which would go on to become the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).That’s right, Ida B Wells co-founded the NAACP with others but cut ties with the organization because she felt that it lacked action-based initiatives.

Wells left behind an impressive legacy of social and political heroism. With her writings, speeches and protests, Wells fought against racism/white supremacy, no matter what potential dangers she faced. She once said, “I felt that one had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or a rat in a trap.”

In Chicago on March 25, 1931, Ida B. Wells, transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy of focus, fairness and fearlessness in social and political activism. She nor her work will never be forgotten. She is a hero and we salute Ida B Wells our Foundational Black American sister.

Joel Augustus Rogers, affectionately known as, J. A. Rogers, was born on September 6 in the early 1880s, a multilingual Jamaican author, anthropologist, sociologist, journalist and historian who contributed greatly to the history of Afrika and the Afrikan diaspora, especially the history of Foundational Black Americans in the United States. His research spanned the academic fields of history, sociology and anthropology. He challenged prevailing ideas about race, demonstrated the connections between civilizations and traced Afrikan achievements.

Rogers was a self-educated man, by any and every stretch of the word and large voracious bibliophile. After relocating and getting settled in the states J. A. recalled “I found in Chicago a friend who introduced me to books in which I found the names of several great men of Negro ancestry past and present,” in his book World’s Great Men of Color, Vol. 1. “In my spare time, with no thought of writing a book, I began to collect some of these names and that was about 1911.” Rogers’ first book and seminal work, “From Superman to Man,” self-published in 1917, attacked notions of Afrikan inferiority. In this work Rogers had his protagonist, a racist Southern senator, realizing finally that he was only a man, create a Hollywood film studio that would produce films that highlighted Afrika’s gifts to the world. He also followed in his father’s footsteps becoming a teacher but eventually found his niche and ultimately becoming a journalist and historian. In 1921, J.A. met and became friends with both Hubert Harrison, the West Indian radical activist and writer and the Foundational Black American journalist and novelist George S. Schuyler.

The common thread In Roger’s research was his unending aim to counter white supremacist propaganda that prevailed in segregated communities across the United States against people of Afrikan descent. The noted historian Dr. John Henrik Clarke states that Rogers “looked at the history of people of Afrikan origin and showed how their history is an inseparable part of the history of mankind.” His works have enlightened many people interested in uncovering the suppressed histories of Afrikan people. His legacy continues through the great volume of works he has left behind.

Mr. Rogers was widely remembered for his professional excellence and intellect throughout his career and is recognized as a legend amongst our ”Intellectual Titans.”

On March 26, 1966, in New York, Joel A. Rogers transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy as one of the pioneers of dispelling the myth, fallacies and lies, regarding those of Afrikan descent. He wrote anti-racist history using universal humanity as his theme and his work serves as a foundation, launching pad and shoulders stood on, that many of our Greats benefited from, to be so great. Which is just as relevant today as it was back in 1917. His work is required reading for all Foundational Black Americans, young and old, male and female, alike.

John Carlos was born on June 5, 1945, in Harlem, New York. He is a retired Foundational Black American Track & Field Olympian, professional football player, activist and author. He was also a gifted high school athlete and outstanding student who attended Machine Trade and Medical High School, where he was a talented track star. He then studied at East Texas State University on a full Track & Field scholarship.

At the 1968 Olympic Trials, John Carlos stunned the track world, setting a world record of 0.3 seconds that would not count because the spike formation on Carlos’ shoes wasn’t accepted then but the race reinforced his status as a world-class sprinter. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Carlos earned bronze in the 200-meter dash. But it is what Carlos and teammate Tommie Smith, the 200-meter gold medalists, both members of the Olympic Human Rights Project, did on the Medal Podium that marked their place in the annals of history. During the award ceremony, he courageously stood up for racial equality. He protested the treatment of Foundational Black Americans, on the world’s most significant stage during the Civil Rights movement, with his black-gloved fist raised in the air and removing shoes alongside teammate Tommie Smith. They stood on the podium with Olympic medals hanging from their necks and something much heavier weighing on their shoulders. Each man silently and stoically with a gloved fist jabbed in the air, a famous Black-Power salute. After proving to the world that they are the best, these Foundational Black American godly athletes and track stars again stood there without shoes to symbolize Black poverty. Carlos wore beads around his neck to symbolize the lynchings of Black men. Tommie wore a black scarf, symbolizing Black Pride. Both kept their heads bowed as their national anthem played, refusing to acknowledge an oppressive society. The moment lasted less than 90 seconds but it reverberated. This act established a legacy of championing equal rights that inspires activists today. And by the song’s final notes, everything had changed for John Carlos and Tommie Smith.

“I wanted to do something that would be so powerful that it would reach the ends of the earth and yet still be nonviolent,” Carlos said 50 years later and that he did while receiving his medal with Tommie Smith. Their silent protest of racism/white supremacy and economic depression among Foundational Black Americans in America would be copied 50 years later. Unknowingly, they had become a significant symbol of the Civil Rights struggle.

The key for all Foundational Black Americans in any field, especially sports, is to understand that marks are more significant than the game’s score. There’s that and then there’s the game of life and mastering both, an achievement worth remembering and celebrating for years to come.

Mr. Carlos went on to play professional football, author his autobiography “The John Carlos Story: The Moment That Changed the World, counsel, coach track and field, fight for human rights and in his latter life, receive numerous awards.

Dr. John Henrik Clarke was born January 1, 1915, in Union Springs, Alabama, 1 of 9 children, Dr. Clarke lived up to his name as a child, “little Fess,” (Little Professor) to become the Professor of Afrikan World History and in 1969 founding chairman of the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Dr. Clarke was most known and highly regarded for his lifelong devotion to studying and documenting the histories and contributions of Afrikan people in Afrika and the diaspora.

Clarke noticed that although many bible stories "unfolded in Afrika…I saw no Afrikan people in the printed and illustrated Sunday school lessons," he wrote in 1985. "I began to suspect at this early age that someone had distorted the image of my people. My long search for the true history of Afrikan people the world over began. Clarke knew he needed to escape the south and the white strictures of worship and thought. That search took him to libraries, museums, attics, archives and collections in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and Afrika. He was forced to overcome unimaginable obstacles.

He challenged the views of academic historians and helped shift the way Afrikan history was studied and taught. Dr. Clarke was “a scholar devoted to redressing what he saw as a systematic and racist suppression and distortion of Afrikan history by traditional scholars.” He accused his detractors of having Eurocentric views. His writing included six scholarly books and many scholarly articles. He also edited anthologies of writing by Foundational Black Americans, as well as collections of his own short stories. In addition, he published general interest articles.

Dr. John Henrik Clarke also debated western societies best and brightest in front of live audiences and exposed the fallacy and the premise that they promoted.

Dr. Clarke is noted and famous for his quote “I only debate my equals all others I teach.”

"History is not everything but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are but more importantly, what they must be." – Dr. John Henrik Clarke

On July 16, 1998, in New York City, Dr. John Henrik Clarke transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a marvelous legacy of scholarship bibliography and something for generations to come. Truly a child prodigy who found his own way, had the wherewithal to channel his genius for a noble cause. Our GrandMaster Teacher will forever be remembered and recognized for his dedication.

Dr. Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., Foundational Black American attorney, author, philanthropist and entrepreneur was born Oct. 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, son of an insurance salesman and mother who sold Avon products. He came to Los Angeles with his family in 1949 and became one of two dozen Foundational Black American students integrated into Los Angeles High School in the 1950s.

Johnnie Cochran graduated first in his class in 1955. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree and his Juris Doctor.

Inspired by Thurgood Marshall and the legal victory he won in Brown v. Board of Education, Cochran decided to dedicate his life to practicing law. In A Lawyer's Life, Cochran wrote: "I read everything that I could find about Thurgood Marshall and confirmed that a single dedicated man could use the law to change society." He also said, "An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It was his rallying cry as he worked to right many wrongs and as he provided a voice to those who needed to be heard.

Cochran first gained national recognition and international prominence with his skillful and controversial defense in 1994, when he joined the legal team defending O.J. Simpson.

He also represented former Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Pratt was wrongfully convicted and illegally imprisoned, while Cochran maintained that the activist was railroaded by authorities, pushing for a retrial. When Cochran helped Pratt win his freedom in 1997, he called the moment "the happiest day of my life practicing law."

Known for his philanthropy, Cochran established the Johnnie L. Cochran, Sr., scholarship for Foundational Black American men at UCLA. His memoir, Journey to Justice, was published in 1996.

On March 29, 2005, Dr. Johnny L. Cochran, Jr. transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy of proud work he did on behalf of those in the community … he will forever be known as "one who was willing to fight for the underdog." Almost unknown, Dr. Johnny Cochran was in the process of calculating the debt The United States owed the descendants of the Foundational Black Americans/prisoners of war, who were held against their will, forced to work for free, building a country that they still aren't welcomed in and if there was anyone who could make it happen, it would have been Dr. Johnny L. Cochran Jr.

Yosef Alfredo Antonio Ben-Jochannan affectionately known as Dr. Ben was born on December 31, 1918, in Falasha community in Gondar, Ethiopia to a Puerto Rican Jewish mother and an Ethiopian Jewish father. He was a lawyer, lecturer, educator, tour guide, author, historian, anthropologist, civil engineer, amongst many other things but most importantly our dear brother.

Dr. Ben-Jochannan famous for teaching Egyptology at Malcolm King College and City College in New York, City, in 1950. Dr. Ben began his educational teaching career in Harlem in 1967 at HARYOU-ACT (the Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited-Associated Community Teams). He worked as an adjunct professor (1973–1987) at Cornell University in the Africana Studies and Research Center; that was then directed by Professor James Turner and also at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He also taught at other institutions, including Rutgers University. In 1977, Dr. Ben accepted an honorary faculty position with the Israelite Rabbinical Academy at Beth Shalom Hebrew Congregation in Brooklyn. He also taught at Al Azhar University in Cairo, Kemet (Egypt). During his career in the 1980s, Dr. Ben’s was well known for leading guided tours to Kemet and the Nile Valley Civilizations (Nubia, Sudan, Ethiopia). His tours were 15-day trips in Afrika showing people the truth of the Afrikan civilizations, that had been ignored and suppressed for far too many years. They were called “Dr. Ben’s Alkebu-Lan Educational Tours.” According to Dr. Ben’s research, Alkebulan was an ancient name for Afrika. As well as Medu Neter being the original Afrikan language of ancient Kemetic people. When the Europeans and Arabs invaded and conquered Kemet, they changed the name Medu Neter to Hieroglyphics. He worked closely with other notable Africana studies scholars including Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Edward Scobie and Dr. Leonard Jeffries.

As one of the pioneering intellectuals that proved to the world and Afrikan people with objectivity and facts, that Kemet was Black. He dedicated his life to uplifting and empowering the black man across the globe. And he did it with the threat of constantly losing his teaching jobs and sometimes his life. The information he has presented challenged the more commonly accepted versions of history. These historical stories have conveniently left out the contributions of the Afrikan to the civilization of mankind. Because of heroes like Dr. Ben-Jochannan generations of Afrikan people around the globe have a stronger sense of pride and history.

On March 19, 2015, and at the age of 96, Dr. Ben transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind work and a legacy that is still inspiring generations of Foundational Black American scholars and intellectual activists fighting to rightfully rescue, reclaim and restore Kemet to Afrika and Afrikan people. He’s taught us that the Afrikan has made a significant contribution to mankind and civilization. Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, we stand on your shoulders.

Dr. Kathleen Cleaver, Foundational Black American educator, lawyer, writer, activist and sociology professor at Wiley College was born in 1945 in Dallas, Texas. Kathleen recalls growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, India, Liberia, the Philippines and Sierra Leone, while her father worked for the foreign service and her mother held a degree in Mathematics.

Cleaver completed high school at the Georgia School in Philadelphia, in 1963. She remembers dropping out of Barnard College, where she served in the Campus Program, in 1966, when she was a sophomore to work full-time with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Later answering her Foundational Black American call ... Kathleen joined the revolution. She served as the communications secretary of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, the first woman member of their Central Committee.

In 1967, she married Eldridge Cleaver and had two children. She is noted for her involvement with the Black Panther Party with Eldridge Cleaver. An outspoken articulate advocate, for Foundational Black American Self-Love. She in all of her power taught young women to embrace their natural and God-given beauty.

She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in history from Yale University in 1984.

She devoted many years to the defense of Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a former Black Panther Party leader who won his habeas corpus petition in 1997 after spending 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.

She is a Senior Research Associate at the Yale Law School and executive producer of the International Black Panther Film Festival. She has co-edited a collection of essays entitled Liberation, Imagination and the Black Panther Party (Routledge, 2001). In 2005, Cleaver was selected an inaugural Fletcher Foundation Fellow.

Currently Ms. Cleaver continues to practice law and teach at Emory University School of Law. She will always be remembered as a Foundational Black American woman that advocated for Foundational Black American women to love themselves including their skin, noses, lips and natural hair.

Dr. Khalid Abdul Muhammad was born Harold Moore Jr. on January 12, 1948, to Harold Moore Sr. and Lottie B. Moore in Houston, Texas. He was a Foundational Black American activist, a minister of the Nation of Islam, militant, lecturer and national chairman of the New Black Panther Party. Moore's Aunt, Carrie Moore Vann, who ensured that he obtained a good education, raised him while living in Houston. In Houston, he attended Phyllis Wheatley High School, which had an all-black population.

After graduating from high school in 1966, Moore enrolled in Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, to pursue a theological studies degree. At that time, a minister at Sloan Methodist Church, Moore later earned his bachelor's degree (BSc) after transferring to Pepperdine University in California, another Christian institution.

His academic prowess at Pepperdine earned him scholarships to some of the nation's most prestigious universities, Harvard, Yale and Columbia. However, Moore joined the Nation of Islam after his interest was aroused, hearing a speech by Minister Louis Farrakhan, who was at the time the National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI). He started researching Islam, continued listening to Minister Farrakhan and was liberated by the Islamic faith. He eventually became Farrakhan's protégé and one of the organization's most active recruiters, helping bring brothers and sisters to the Nation.

Moore later received a BA degree from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, California. In 1978, he was appointed Western Regional Minister of the NOI and leader of Mosque #27 in Los Angeles. Recognizing his intense loyalty to Islam in 1983, Minister Farrakhan changed his name to Khalid, after the Islamic general Khalid Ibn al-Walid a follower of the prophet Muhammad and was appointed Western Regional Minister of the Nation of Islam. This marked the end of Harold Moore and the birth of Khalid Abdul Muhammad, aka the Sword of Allah. In 1985 at the age of 37, Khalid Muhammad was also appointed National Spokesman and Representative of Minister Farrakhan.

In 1998, Dr. Khalid Muhammad became the National Chairman of the New Black Panther Party and organized the Million Youth March in New York City. He also led other marches for injustices against Foundational Black Americans.

Khalid Muhammad exhibited an excellent work ethic. He could be described as a zealot and his dedication was unmatched. He transitioned and went on to "Reign in Power" on February 17, 2001, never to be forgotten and to always be remembered as a shining example Foundational Black American manhood. Unquestionably one of the last of our Warrior class, a man of action, who was unapologetically black.

Dr. Llaila O. Afrika lecturer, teacher, historian, author, nutritionist, naturopath, acupuncturist, metaphysician, herbalist and health consultant, to name a few. He was a multi genius but most of all our good brother.

Dr Afrika was one of the world's foremost authorities on health and nutrition. He was a Certified Addictionologist with a degree from The American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders. He was a certified nurse from Georgia Baptist Medical Center. He was also an U.S. Army Social Worker and psychotherapist. He studied and became a massage therapist, herbalist and medical astrologist. Dr. Afrika has over 45 years' experience and training in ethno medicine, which is the use of disease, remedies and diagnosis based upon the biochemistry of a race. Because of these tremendous credentials, he was one of the most sought-after lecturers in the country.

He has taught and studied in countries such as Afrika, Europe, and of course, America. Dr. Afrika lectured and gave workshops on more than eighty different topics in America, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. He was the author of over 100 CD's, DVD's and books on various health, history and nutrition topics. By way of his Nutritional Counselor Certification Course, he has certified hundreds of students to go on and continue healing like he has for more than 45 years. His training as a Certified Acupuncturist gained him knowledge and awareness of treatment methods i.e. Ancient Afrikan Science normally confused with Chinese Medicine.

Dr Afrika contends that good health is a human right and product of nature. He has changed the lives of thousands of people by eliminating a variety of physical and emotional problems.

As a Psychiatric Counselor at Georgia Baptist Medical Center, he gained hands on work experience with mental illnesses such as depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, suicide, etc.  His firsthand experience plus insight put Dr Afrika in a class all his own. His historical acumen was also key in assisting Foundational Black Americans with the trauma that continues to go undiagnosed and thus untreated.

On March 22, 2020, Dr Lliala Afrika transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy of true scholarship. A multi genius that served his people for more than 50 years. He visited multiple countries, touched thousands of lives and with the reach technology provides, it's now hundreds of thousands of lives (and counting). He authored many books, which are all required reading, as they cover a wide variety of topics. He also, has 1000s of hours of lectures and courses available today. He is survived by his wife Dr. Melanie Stevenson who continues the work and adds on to the legacy, her husband, our brother and one of our true Intellectual Titans started.

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father Earl and Louise Little were followers of the early Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. While Malcolm was an infant the family moved to Lansing, Michigan after having threats on their lives, though the family continued to face threats in their new home. In 1931, Malcolm’s father lost his life under mysterious circumstances when he was six years old. Malcolm and his siblings were sent to foster homes or to live with family members. Though highly intelligent, a good student who excelled in school, he dropped out in eighth grade. This was after his teacher told him that he should become a carpenter instead of a lawyer. At the tender age of 13, he lost interest and soon ended his formal education.

As a rebellious youngster, then known as “Detroit Red” he became a victim of circumstance and at 21, it landed him in prison, from 1946 to 1952. While incarcerated Malcolm had many discussions with his brother Reginald, who was already a member of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm then, quit smoking and gambling. He also changed his diet and educated himself, spending long hours in the prison library. He even memorized the dictionary as he sharpened his forensic skills by participating in debate classes. He underwent a conversion and joined the Nation of Islam. A Foundational Black American movement that combined elements of Islam with Black nationalism. In 1952, he moved to Chicago and became a minister under Elijah Muhammad, abandoning his “slave name” and becoming Malcolm X (Malcolm X, “We Are Rising”). By the late 1950s, Malcolm had become the NOI’s leading spokesman, commanding leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam. He articulated concepts of race pride, such as self-reliance, clean living, healthy eating, financial independence for Foundational Black Americans, racial separation rather than integration, a strict code of moral behavior and no more oppression by racism/white supremacy.

In 1958, Malcolm X married Betty Shabazz (née Betty Sanders), a native of Detroit, Michigan, after a lengthy courtship. The couple had six children, all daughters: Attallah, Qubilah, Ilyasah, Gamilah Lumumba and twins Malikah and Malaak.

After a misunderstanding and even more miss in communication with The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammed and the unnecessary involvement by the federal government, a rift was caused between the Great Student and the even Greater Teacher. On February 21, 1965, in New York, New York, Brother Malcolm el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz X, transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power” leaving behind a legacy of iconic proportion. An example for all young and old to follow. Calling from his steadfast example and consistent rhetoric "We declare our race on this earth to be a being, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being, in this society, on this Earth in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary" rings true today in 2023, as it did 38 years ago, in 1965. After his transition, his bestselling book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, popularized his ideas and inspired the Black Power movement.

Mary Ellen Pleasant was perhaps the most powerful Foundational Black American woman in Gold Rush-era San Francisco. Born on Aug. 19, 1814, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was known as smart and witty. In her early years Mary Ellen worked in a dry goods store and learned how to run a small business. It was during those years she was initiated into the circle of the island’s Anti-Slavery Society. Time spent in Virginia and in Nantucket, Massachusetts is where she found her early abolitionist roots that grounded her in honor, truth, justice and righteousness.

Once leaving the island around 1840, Pleasant met many prominent abolitionists and continued her work on the Underground Railroad, transporting Foundational Black Americans/prisoners of war to Nova Scotia, Mexico and Ohio, to name a few.

Mary Ellen made her way to San Francisco, California, during the Gold Rush in 1852, Pleasant was now a seasoned and ardent abolitionist but she left few records of this part of her life.

Due to Pleasant’s consistent and never-ending fight for justice, she earned her title as the “Mother” of California’s early civil rights movement, separate and apart from establishing the local Underground Railroad. That is correct Mary Ellen pleasant was directly and indirectly responsible for the escape and freedom of prisoners of war/Foundational Black Americans.

Even though California was a free state, San Francisco was racially segregated. Mary Ellen and other Foundational Black American activists fought for equal access to the ballot box, education and public transportation. Mary was present and active as a grassroots participant, even as a millionaire.

Pleasant was deluged by get-well cards and flowers by her fellow San Franciscans when she became seriously ill near the end of her life. The San Francisco Examiner reported that “her deeds of charity are as numerous as the grey hairs on her proud old head.”

On Jan. 4, 1904, Mary Ellen Pleasant transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power”, leaving behind a notable legacy of a Foundational Black American forced to overcome the damnedest of adversity to become a millionaire and a powerful abolitionist. Mary Ellen Pleasant was a civil rights activist, philanthropist and entrepreneur who used her fortune to further the abolitionist movement. She worked on the Underground Railroad in several states, including California and won significant civil rights in the courts, earning the name ‘Mother of Civil Rights in California.’ A true pioneer, shaping our world and making a path for future generations.

Muhammad Ali's birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. He was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. His father, Cassius Clay, Sr., worked as a sign painter and his mother, Odessa, worked as a maid. Young Cassius had a younger brother named Rudy. The Clays weren't rich, but they weren't poor either.

At the age of 12, Clay discovered his talent for boxing through an odd twist of fate. After his bike, a red-and-white Schwinn was stolen, Clay vowed to police officer, Joe Martin, that he’d pummel the culprit.

"Well, you better learn how to fight before you start challenging people," Martin told him at the time. In addition to being a police officer, Martin also trained young boxers at a local gym. He took Clay under his wing and that steered the future heavyweight champion to the sport of boxing. At six feet, three inches tall, Clay was an imposing figure in the ring, but he also became known for his lightning speed and fancy footwork.

He was an Olympian who took the gold and came back home an American hero. He took out British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in 1963. Going on to win his next 19 fights, including 15 knockouts, Clay received his first title shot, then knocked out Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964. Shocking the world Clay became the new heavyweight champion of the world. Two days later Clay shocked the boxing establishment again by announcing that he had accepted the teachings of the Nation of Islam. At a press conference the next morning, Clay, who had been seen around Miami with controversial Nation of Islam member Malcolm X, confirmed the rumors of his conversion to Islam. He first changed his name from Cassius Clay to Cassius X but on March 6, 1964, he took the name Muhammad Ali, which was given to him by his spiritual mentor, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

He fought twenty-two professional heavyweight championship bouts. He was married and had nine children, including Laila Ali his youngest daughter, who followed in Ali’s footsteps by becoming a champion boxer. To this day in 2023 Laila is an undefeated professional boxer with a record of 24-0, capturing a number of titles in various weight classes.

Muhammad Ali, a Foundational Black American, was also known for his brave public stance against racism/white supremacy. He wasn’t just a boxer though, he was a philanthropist, Olympian, humanitarian, negotiator and social activist, who is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.

On June 3, 2016 in Scottsdale AZ., the heavyweight champion of the boxing world, Muhammad Ali, “the greatest of all time,” transitioned and went on to “Reign in Power,” leaving behind a legacy of character, morals and strength, for both men and women to emulate today and tomorrow. Our Foundational Black American brother took a stand, put it all on the line and spoke up for us and spoke against them.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur was born on August 8, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland as Jeral Wayne Williams. At age 7, he moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York City with his mother and younger sister. His political and social consciousness was developed early in his life. He was forced to grow up quick and endure uncalled for circumstances.

Since the age 16, Dr. Shakur has been a part of the New Afrikan Independence Movement.

During the late 1960s, Dr. Shakur also was politically active and worked with the Revolutionary Action Movement (R.A.M.), a Black Nationalist group that struggled for Black self-determination and socialist change in America. He was a member of the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika, which endorsed the founding of an independent New Afrikan (Black) Republic and the establishment of an independent Black state in the southern U.S. Dr. Shakur also worked very closely with the Black Panther Party, supporting Lumumba and Zayd Shakur.

Dr. Shakur has five biological children and several grandchildren who he maintains loving relationships with. He was an inspiration for many of the positive messages in his late adoptive son, Tupac’s, musical work.

Dr. Shakur participated in civil rights, Foundational Black American liberation and acupuncture healthcare all as part of movements of the late 1960s to the 1980s. It was a period of civil conflict in which millions of Americans participated in social movements for justice and freedom.

For over twenty-five years, Dr. Shakur has been a leading voice in the Foundational Black American community calling for peace, reconciliation and healing for the countless lives lost in pursuit of basic justice and human rights. Testimonies and sentiments of hundreds of different Foundational Black American men are as follows, “I recognize Dr. Mutulu Shakur not only as my father but as the man who changed my way of thinking and saved my life,” Ra’ Sekou P’tah, who only knew Dr. Mutulu Shakur for 15 years. This is just one that is documented. There are thousands of other verbal testaments that echo the same for this “Living Legend.” Shakur has always been a transformative force for his community.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur presently resides in Southern California, surrounded by the love and care of his family and close friends. He continues to be that beacon of light and source of wisdom for a world of darkness that has truly lost its way.

Oscar Jerome Jackson Jr. born October 29, 1967, better known by his stage name Paris, is an Foundational Black American hip hop artist/rapper, record producer, revolutionary, inspiration and entrepreneur from San Francisco, California. He is known for his highly charged militantly confrontational, political and socially conscious lyrics. Influenced by the Black Panther Party and was once a member of the Nation of Islam, Jackson founded his record label Scarface Records in 1987. Paris released his debut album and single titled, The Devil Made Me Do It, which was critically acclaimed in 1990 but was dropped by the label before he was able to release his second album due to his controversial subject matter. The title track addressed the country’s systemic racism and was banned by MTV for being “too controversial.” After earning a degree in economics from University of California-Davis, Paris decided to go independent and handle his business.

Paris from day one has been steadfast with his message. Supremely talented, as a lyricist and producer he is double trouble when it comes to any project. Paris states, “a lot of attention was paid to the music that came before me and many early influences still impact my music. Funkadelic is a mainstay, as is Curtis Mayfield, Earth, Wind and Fire and my hip-hop predecessors who actually rap. There are lots of people in hip-hop currently that don’t actually rap; they chant and make noise. I don’t look unfavorably on any of them, I just maintain my lane.”

Four albums in, Jackson became dissatisfied with the music industry and retired from recording to become a stockbroker. But not done yet Paris would return picking up right where he left off. Several albums and three decades later, Paris has left in his wake hit after hit after hit, classic collaborations and a blueprint for any Foundational Black American artist looking to get it right the first go round.

And there's more to come as Paris is a businessman, that controls his own destiny — and if the past is any indication of the future, we have a lot more hard-hitting Revolutionary soundtracks to jam to as we rise up and assume the proper posture as Foundational Black Americans. From “the Devil made me do it” to “Safe Space Invaders” and every album in between the lyrics beats and production are timeless and as relevant today as they were when they dropped.

So, we salute this West Coast O.G. Hip Hop/Rap veteran for his continued loud, unwavering and unapologetic Foundational Black American voice. His legacy is cemented and what he's done puts him in a class of his own. Paris, "The Black Panther of Hip Hop." 

Assata Perkins affectionately known as Sa-Roc the MC, born on December 28, 1981, a product of Afrikan-centered parents, Sa-Roc developed a rebel mentality from an early age. She grew up on the music of Jimi Hendrix, Gil Scott Heron and Earth, Wind & Fire. Her musical soundtrack was a clash of sounds, from go-go, to rock, to Hip Hop. This foundation began an aural quest for different sounds and concepts in music. It wasn’t until 2002, when Sa-Roc met Atlanta producer Sol Messiah, that she began her love affair with the mic.

Sa-Roc grew up in Southeast D.C. a city that’s a mashup of poverty-stricken hoods, strong radical movements and a fierce loyalty to cultural preservation. It was here her early experiences shaped her understanding of the world around her, deepened her emotional sensitivity and cemented a social consciousness that would later feature heavily within her work. This is the cocoon from which Sa-Roc was birthed and bred. She was born three-months premature and didn’t make a sound during the first fourteen months of her life. This struggle to find a voice — both literally and creatively — would later be critical in shaping her lyrical expression.

Sa-Roc was on the verge of graduating from Howard University as a biology major but decided to leave college and eventually, to leave Washington D.C. for Atlanta. It was in Atlanta where she was introduced to famed DJ and producer, Sol Messiah. Inspired by one of the acts he was working with, Sa-Roc decided to record some of her poetry and rhymes to his beats. The result was her first EP, Astral Chronicles which dropped in 2008. She went on to drop a project titled Supernova that same year and quickly began to gain recognition within the cultural and activist community in Atlanta, performing at social justice and political prisoner fundraisers and other community-based events. Still the full breadth of her artistic expression didn’t arrive until later that year when a surprise introduction at a Mutulu Shakur benefit concert thrusted her on stage for the very first time.

Sa-Roc had finally found the full range of her voice and there was no looking back.

She's dropped multiple hit packed albums with little too no radio play. Sa-Roc is the true definition of an UnderGround Queen.

Sa Roc also finds time as a Health and Wellness advocate to provide lectures and workshops, both nationally and internationally.

Sa-Roc is just incredible, on the stage and off the stage. She is refreshing as a female Hip Hop artist that has undeniable skills that she demonstrates at the same time being very feminine and lady like, while ferocious as a lioness seen on the Serengeti. We salute “The UnderGround Queen.”

Dr. Sebi, as he is affectionately known as today, was born November 26, 1933, in the village of Ilanga, Spanish Honduras, came into this world as Alfredo Bowman. Young Alfredo did not attend formal school; he was raised and educated by his cherished grandmother, Mamma Hay, who influenced his understanding of nature that helped develop a great man and world-renowned herbalist. Sebi states "Mamma Hay is the pillar of my foundation.”

Dr. Sebi’s fascination with the natural world around him sparked a lifelong interest in the healing properties of plants. Dr. Sebi was drawn to natural healing methods, especially after discovering firsthand the limitations of Western medicine in treating chronic disease.

"He was a self-taught pathologist, herbalist, biochemist and naturalist. He studied and personally observed herbs in America, Latin America, Afrika and the Caribbean and developed a unique approach to healing with herbs firmly rooted in over 30 years of practical experience called the African Bio Mineral Balance.

Inspired by the personal healing experience and knowledge he gained, he began sharing the compounds with others, which gave birth to the USHA Research Institute, Dr. Sebi LLC and the Usha Healing Village located in La Ceiba, Honduras. Exploring the mighty healing potential of herbs, Dr. Sebi began creating natural vegetation cell food compounds geared for inter-cellular cleansing and the revitalization of all the cells that make up the human body, the first prototypes of Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food.

Along with the healing herbs Dr. Sebi advocates healthy eating and went as far as creating a food list consisting of alkaline based fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and spices. Drinking a gallon of natural spring water daily and avoiding alcohol serve as guidelines on how to provide the body what it needs to heal itself.

It was Alfredo’s wife that gave him the name Sebi and locals started calling him Doctor after they saw him heal all kinds of illnesses.

Dedicating his life to the pursuit of natural plant-based approaches for health management and disease prevention, Dr. Sebi and his efforts continue to enrich the health and wellbeing of millions of people around the world. Amongst his many clients, numerous celebrities were among his patients, including Michael Jackson, Erykah Badu, Eddie Murphy, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of TLC and Teddy Pendergrass.

Dr. Sebi on August 6, 2016, transitioned and went on to "Reign in Power" leaving behind a legacy that will be talked about for years to come. He performed thousands of miracles, from healing documented cases of aids to restoring eyesight. As many young and old people alike have picked up where he left off, promoting health and self-love, healing themselves and their loved ones.

Dr. Shahrazad Ali is a nutritionist, lecturer, author, inspiration and retired a freelance writer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 5, 1947. She was a daughter of Harry and Lucy (Marshall) Levy. She attended Xavier University, 1964-1966 and Georgia State University, 1979-1980.

She also authored and self-published several books, including the controversial 1989 title “The Blackman’s Guide to Understanding the Blackwoman.”

Shahrazad Ali made headlines in the 1980s and 90s for her unpopular views about Foundational Black American women and their position in the Foundational Black American family, as submissive to the Black man.

Upon release, the book became the subject of intense debate for its stance that Foundational Black American women were disrespectful to Foundational Black American men and instead should be submissive to them. She posited it was the reason for the breakdown of the Foundational Black American family.

Ali appeared on the Donahue Show to discuss her book and an audience member asked her how the white women’s liberation movement hurt her as a Foundational Black American woman? Ali stated:

“It did because prior to that time we were standing with our men and our children trying to make a way for our families and get what we thought we deserved here in the form of equality and opportunity; but once we got on your side then it made it appear as if we were just with women against men that’s because of the argument that you all had with the white man, which is not our business. I’m trying to deal with this.”

Ali is married and is a mother of 12, including 9 adopted children. She remarried later in life.

Ali is still active and can be found giving interviews in 2023. She's authored several books and they are all required reading. Her work is timeless and rings true today as it did back in 1989, 30 years ago. Unpopular as it was, Dr. Ali remained steadfast and held to the course. We thank her for her work and gift to the Foundational Black American family unit. We thank her for being a longtime advocate, fighter and a rider for the Foundational Black American Family unit.

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Bomfree, in Dutch speaking Ulster County, New York in 1797. She was married and she had five children, beginning in 1815. In 1827, Isabella ran away with her infant Sophia to a nearby abolitionist family. She successfully took legal measures to reunite with her five-year-old-son Peter and overcame other unthinkable obstacles.

Ms. Bomfree moved to New York City in 1828, where she worked for a local minister. By the early 1830s, she participated in the religious revivals that were sweeping the state and became a charismatic speaker. In 1843, she declared that the Spirit called on her to preach the truth, renaming herself Sojourner Truth.

As an itinerant preacher, Truth met with abolitionists Frederick Douglass. Truth gave speeches about the evils of domestic terrorism and oppression. She never learned to read or write. In 1850, she dictated what would become her autobiography—The Narrative of Sojourner Truth—and then had it published. Truth survived on sales of the book, which also brought her national recognition.

In 1851, She began a lecture tour in Akron, Ohio, where she delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech. In it, she challenged prevailing notions of inequality by reminding listeners of her combined strength (Truth was nearly six feet tall) and female status.

During the 1850s, Truth settled in Battle Creek, Michigan, where three of her daughters lived. She continued speaking nationally and helped Foundational Black Americans/prisoners of war escape to freedom. When the Civil War started, Truth urged young men to join the Union cause and organized supplies for black troops.

Sojourner Truth was an outspoken advocate for abolition, temperance and civil rights in the nineteenth century.

Truth spent her final years in Michigan, transitioned and went on to "Reign in Power" in 1883. Our Foundational Black American sister, Sojourner Truth was a rider and dedicated her life for an honorable cause. Her actions and legacy are that of a real freedom fighter.